Just curious - is anyone from the board here doing the Tram Road Challenge? It's this Saturday at 7:00 a.m. Incidentally, if anyone was planning on taking the tram up early on Saturday the road is closed from 6:00 to 9:00 for the race, just so you know in advance.

The only "Tram Road Challenge" that I will be participating in will happen when the weather cools down a bit, and I do Skyline. For me, the Tram Road Challenge is when you call for a taxi to take you from the lower tram station to your car at the Skyline TH, and hoping that the taxi will arrive before you fall asleep at the waiting area!

Sally wrote:The only "Tram Road Challenge" that I will be participating in will happen when the weather cools down a bit, and I do Skyline. For me, the Tram Road Challenge is when you call for a taxi to take you from the lower tram station to your car at the Skyline TH, and hoping that the taxi will arrive before you fall asleep at the waiting area!

Amen. I wish Doreen would stop walking back to Palm Springs, bums me out and makes me feel hopelessly inferior. Normally, my wife picks me up at the tram station, but last Saturday the drive up the road starting frying the engine, so we had to leave the car in the parking lot and take a taxi. The taxi driver said there is a woman named Diane who does Skyline year round three times a week, in 4-1/2 hours. Ay! The tram people were very considerate, allowing us to park the car there for two nights before having AAA tow it down. Needed a new fan and condenser, according to Yousef Mobile. Good car, but 12 years old.

I ran into a guy on Saturday who is taking up hiking again after twenty years, spent raising children. Said he had done Skyline six times with Cy Kaicener, back in the day. Remembered Doreen, though not by name, as someone who would pass him as jack-rabbit speed.

The winner was David Luna in 29.58 -- #1208 took 2 houre and 10 minutes ( The social group )Stan - do you remember the name of the guy that did Skyline six times with me?The last time I did Skyline was seven years ago at age 72 - How time flies Yesterday I managed to to Mt Baldy from Manker Flats. It took quite a long time

Good to hear from you Cy! Long time no see. Great job on Baldy, that's a tough one.

Sorry, I do not remember the name of the guy you spoke of.

The run was fun this morning. I'm still trying to get back in shape now that my joints are cooperating - it took me about 10 minutes longer than it used to...so I'm with you in that things seem to be taking an increasingly long time. Ah well, still making it to the top, though, aren't we? Congrats again on Baldy. You've still got it Cy!

Cy Kaicener wrote:Stan - do you remember the name of the guy that did Skyline six times with me?The last time I did Skyline was seven years ago at age 72 - How time flies Yesterday I managed to to Mt Baldy from Manker Flats. It took quite a long time

Cy,

We did not exchange names. I know he lives in Mentone. He would have been about 26 when he was hiking with you twenty years ago, but remembers you as being considerably faster than himself. He seemed interested in contacting you, I suggested the message board. He's preparing for a full Skyline by hiking further each time, so perhaps I will see him again, though he was not on the trail yesterday. When he turned around, I mumbled something about descending in the heat, to which he said, 'It's only in the 90's, that's ok.' Said he had done a summer Skyline with you, starting at 2am. I would not do a summer Skyline if I could keep the sun from rising.

I understand your comment about speed. I don't know whether to blame my snail's pace on age, or on my wobbly left knee, which produces an effect similar to hiking on 1-1/2 legs. Probably a combination of the two.

Congratulations on Baldy. I did it a few months ago, my only significant hike of the summer. Going up by the Devil's Backbone was fine, but coming down by the Ski Hut route was a bummer. People slipping and sliding all over the place on the eroded paths on the ridge. Fortunately, I had trekking poles, but it was still slow going for me.

Cy Kaicener wrote:- do you remember the name of the guy that did Skyline six times with me?

Cy,

His name is Troy. He was on the trail yesterday, making a conditioning hike to 4300'. I keep telling him that if I lived in Mentone, I would do conditioning hikes on San Gorgonio, but he does not seem to mind descending in the heat.

Wow, I'm with you Ed. Mentone is maybe 15 minutes from the Momyer trail head, and the trail is virtually never at capacity for wilderness permits. Maybe he just prefers the desert. Still, seems like a lot of driving.